


one more time with feeling

by AdelineVW7



Series: other lives and dimensions [8]
Category: Naruto
Genre: #SSSnippetADay (Naruto), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Break Up, Domesticity, Epistolary mode, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff, Getting Back Together, Getting Together, Implied Sexual Content, Mutual Pining, SasuSaku - Freeform, Snatches of conversation, Standalone drabbles, Various themes, miscellany
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27589612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdelineVW7/pseuds/AdelineVW7
Summary: A collection of snippets and drabbles with various themes and in various AUs. First published on Twitter.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Series: other lives and dimensions [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959007
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	one more time with feeling

He asks her to come with him, and because she could not refuse him anything, she follows. They leave everything behind—their names, their legacies, their attachments to the village they could no longer truly call home. From now on, they would live only for each other. _Our old world is no more_ , he decides. And now being with him she promises: _together we will remake it._

* * *

"Careful now, Uchiha. If you give me an opening, I'll destroy you." 

"..."

"..."

"You're technically Uchiha now, too. Or have you forgotten that, _wife_?"

"As if. It just felt good to say. I'm totally going to beat you, so wipe that smirk off your face, _husband._ "

"No can do."

"Oh yeah? Why is that?"

"White knight to C7. Checkmate."

"Shannaro!"

* * *

“I don't have a dress.”

“That's fine.”

“I haven't… I don't even have my makeup on me right now.”

“Don't need it. You're beautiful like this.”

“Flatterer.”

“I speak only the truth. So how about it?”

“Here? Today? Really?”

“You and I—that's all we need, Sakura. That's all we'll ever need.”

“Fine, then. I guess I'll marry you, Sasuke-kun. I hope you won't regret this.”

“Never.”

* * *

“How are you?”

“I... I don't know. I'm better. I guess… even the pain of our parting is something that could be blunted by time.”

“Are you happy?”

“How can you ask me that?”

“I have to know. I need to know if it was worth it.”

“You're free of me. I'm no longer tying you down; the whole wide world is yours to explore. Yours to conquer. That alone makes it worth it, Sasuke-kun.”

“But you're unhappy.”

“It doesn't matter.”

“It does, Sakura. To me, it does.”

* * *

_She should not; reason and good sense counseled against it. She knew that to do so would only make the parting harder. But with her it has always been the heart that prevailed. So she stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him. “I will always love you,” she whispered against his mouth. And then she turned away, towards her flight, towards a future they could never share._

The sight of his face—here, of all places—is the most welcome sight, though one that she never expected. Indeed after their parting at the airport so many months ago, when she had made her feelings known, she did not think that she would ever see him again. She was utterly convinced she had closed the most beautiful chapter of her life. But there he was, in front of her. And in his gaze, there is the tender promise of a new beginning.

“Hi,” she greets, shy. Against her will, that glorious image of him gets blurred over by her tears.

“Sakura,” he calls, and he is again revealed to her as he wipes away the tears from her eyes. “I’m here.”

“Why?” She smiles despite the ache in her heart. She dares once again, to hope.

He crushes her to his chest, and kisses her temple. “You fool,” he reprimands, fond. “Did you think I would choose to live without you?”

* * *

A slamming door and the stomping of boots announce her return, by which Sasuke surmises: _a bad day._ Promptly he heads over to their kitchen, there to await her and hear what has driven her to vexation this time.

She plops onto her accustomed seat just as he finishes pouring out two cups of tea. He pushes one towards her and she sighs, wrapping her chilled hands around the comforting warmth of the porcelain. He opens his mouth to ask about her day, but she beats him to the punch.

“Ugh. _Why_ are bras?”

At that, Sasuke fights back the urge to smile. He settles for watching his lover, as she blows on the tea and takes a sip. He waits until she has set it down, before he offers his input: “Take it off, then.”

Her eyes narrow into slits for a moment, and then her lips curl into a sly smile. “Why don't you do it for me?”

He smirks back. “Gladly, kitten.”

Swiftly, they both stand, and Sasuke pulls her to him by the hoops on her jeans. She tilts up her head to kiss him, as he slips his hands into her shirt to unclasp her bra. He palms her breasts, languorously teasing the nipples with his thumbs. She responds by lightly biting his lip.

It moves quickly from there. Clothes find their way on the floor, and the pair retreats to the room, where he would warm her more completely.

The tea, unfinished, grows cold on the table.

* * *

"You know, you can liken that... emotional baggage to Lego bricks." 

"What does that even mean, pig?" 

"That's 'cause I wasn't done yet and the imagery was incomplete. Let me finish, forehead!" 

"Alright, alright! Okay. Carry on. Geez." 

"They're clutter, and you can sweep them under that thin-ass rug you've got there. And it will seem like it's okay because you can't see them anymore. But one day you will step on one of those little fuckers, and it's gonna hurt. A lot. So out with them, girl. Go clear the air with Sasuke. Put the Legos where they're supposed to go." 

"... you're drunk and that's a very bad metaphor and I hate that it makes sense." 

"Hey! I'm not a writer. You are. Which makes it really sad that you can't find the words to communicate this to him." 

"It's just... really hard. I want to talk to him, but I'm scared. You know what we've been through. How do you begin talking about that?" 

"But you're going to do it?" 

"I guess. Yeah. I hope. Oh, heavens, please grant me the courage to do it!" 

"Attagirl. You can do it. Now down that drink, and prepare to talk." 

"What do you-" 

"Sakura, huh?" 

"Sa-sasuke-kun!" 

* * *

As the full moon approaches, various aches and pains begin to plague her. Her skin stretches and almost tears over her bones, and thick, wiry fur slowly covers her body. Her frame bends and breaks, following the shape her father’s blood had decreed: that of a predator’s, ravenous for flesh and blood. 

In times like this, she feels the keen fear that she would snap, and devour the loving woman that has always been by her side. The torment of that thought is unimaginable, and Sarada is fearful enough that she would always propose spending the duration of her transformation out in the wild. But her mother stops her every time. 

Sakura only wordlessly takes her trembling body into her arms, and puts her lips to Sarada's ears. There she pours out the lullabies that have calmed her since her early childhood, until Sarada's eyes grow heavy with sleep. When her daughter has drifted off, Sakura would turn her eyes to the starry skies, remembering. Under a similar sky, she had been wedded to him—the countless silent stars the only spectators to their vow. 

_I will stay with you, beloved, through all of your changes. Through all of your seasons_. 

"Come back, my love," she prays. Her vision blurs over with tears. "Your daughter needs you. We both do." 

* * *

_She's here,_ he realizes. And so he lets himself fall, knowing she will be there to catch him. 

"You idiot," she reprimands, as he sags against her, utterly spent. Her voice is tinged with bitterness and disapproval. "How could you tell me not to worry?" 

"I’m sorry." 

"You better be." 

"I'm glad you're here," he breathes out. He meets her worried gaze, and mouths, "I love you, Sakura." And then he succumbs to the pull of unconsciousness, surrendering himself to her capable, loving hands. 

* * *

Sasuke, 

We cannot go on like this, and I am deeply, truly sorry. This is where it has to end—Sasuke-and-Sakura, childhood friends turned lovers, who had the perfect love story, who were destined for each other. How can it go on, when in reality we have fallen short of that promise? When you are no longer happy with me? 

I simply cannot bear it: being the reason for your continued unhappiness. 

But you have to know this: with you I was the happiest I could have ever been. And maybe this is horribly selfish of me, but I regret nothing. 

We are here but for a little while, and I am happy I could be with you, for a fraction of that time. To me those moments we have spent together are shining crystal, blazing flame—they will illuminate my life with their brilliance even if we are no more. 

I love you—I always will. The fact of our parting cannot alter that truth, not in the slightest. 

Live well, and be happy. With all my heart, I give you back your freedom. 

And fare thee well, my love, 

Sakura. 

* * *

"What will it take to satisfy you, hm?" His whisper is a low rumble in her ear, and it sends shivers down her spine. "Tell me," he probes, as his fingers deftly explore the curves and dips of her, the pathways to her pleasure. "Speak,” he bids her, as he draws even closer, “wife.” Her new title is silk on his tongue, and she thrills in it. 

Her back arches in anticipation. "Only you," she tells him, eyes half-hooded and hazy with desire. "Only you, my love." 

* * *

"Sometimes I wish I could just disappear," she whispers, as her finger traces patterns on his chest. She cranes her head to look at him, smiles. 

"You can't," he tells her, after a while. He watches as she deflates, already imagining how he would reprimand her for her supposed selfishness. But he surprises her when he continues, "I won't let you." 

"You won't?" 

"If it's rest that you need," he begins, willing her to trust in the truth of his words, "I'm here." He kisses the top of her head. "You don't need to run away, or disappear." 

He draws her closer still, and she thrills at how perfectly their bodies fit together. "Stay here, with me,” he tells her. “I will keep you safe." 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the ride! I would be honored to know what you think, if you could spare the time. :D


End file.
